


He who suffers in silence

by dmichelle312



Series: The Last of the Ancient Ones [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Genre: Adoption, Alchemy, Crying, Depression, Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Healing, Herbalism, Herbology, LLF Comment Project, Lighthouses, Magic-Users, Men Crying, Mentions of past genocide & murder, Minor Injuries, My First Work in This Fandom, Nightmares, Orphans, Other, Past Violence, Post-Majora's Mask, Potions, Siblings, Sickness, Stay tuned for part 2 and 3, Tatl and Tael make an appearance, Tea, The Happy Mask Salesman is a dad to Shaw, The Happy Mask Salesman's name is Masao here, The Skull Kid is briefly mentioned, The Skull Kid's name is Akio here, Trauma, somewhat AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 10:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20833781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dmichelle312/pseuds/dmichelle312
Summary: The Happy Mash Salesman gives hope to the children of Termina. He heals those that are injured or sick, gives self-confidence to those that are depressed, and gives hope to those that have none. Like the two orphaned siblings he found and brought to his sanctuary (a lighthouse) to care for them as he tries to find them a home.





	He who suffers in silence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Erin Silverlight-Rey (SilverMillennium_QueenNeptune)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMillennium_QueenNeptune/gifts), [SwoodMaxProductions](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwoodMaxProductions/gifts), [Irhaboggles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irhaboggles/gifts).

> I'm gifting this fanfic to Erin Silverlight-Rey (SilverMillenium_QueenNeptune) who is encouraging and supporting me in my writings. Thanks, Erin. I'm also gifting this fanfic to SwoodMaxProductions whose fanfics ("Shadow of the Tower" and "Scars, curses and a cup of tea") inspired me to write my own version of the HMS' story (our headcanon(s) are far more canon than we originally thought too). Thanks for the inspiration and the support, Max.
> 
> If you read the series' index page, you'll find a description for my Legend of Zelda fanfic series and more informations (links) on some things I mentioned in my Legend of Zelda fanfic series (objects, origins of names, etc). Stay tuned for part 2 and 3, for it will be a series in three parts (three one-shots).
> 
> You should read this before you get started on reading my Legend of Zelda fanfic series (canon evidence that the HMS is the last of the Ancient Ones):
> 
> https://zeldauniverse.net/forums/Thread/205366-The-last-Ancient-One/?postID=6404678#post6404678
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda or any of its characters except for the original characters (like Shaw, Kaliska, Kieran, Yaza and Mili).
> 
> There's no character death, but there's a lot of feels so grab a box of tissues. You're gonna need one when you read this, I know I needed one when I wrote it.

The children were unconscious when he found them. There were two of them, a boy and a girl, around ten and twelve, and they looked so much alike it was obvious they were siblings. Both looked tired and sick and had some injuries. While the evil within Majora's Mask had been contained and dealt with, there were other evil forces at work and evil would continue to exist in Termina and some beings would choose to serve evil while others would choose to serve good. The children had obviously been attacked by a being who was serving evil, but they had survived and they were weakened by weariness, sickness and privations. As he looked at the children, the Happy Mask Salesman tried to control his tumultuous emotions, a mixture of anger, sadness, sympathy and indignation. For a moment, his eyes changed. Blood-red, slit pupils like a cat. He regained control of his emotions and glamoured his eyes with magic, they were brown with round pupils again. He cursed himself for letting his glamour slip from his eyes. He would have to be more careful. His life and survival depended on it. As the last of his kind, he had wondered two or three times why he bothered to stay alive instead of just getting himself killed in some battle, at least he would be reunited with his people. But his will to live took over and he wanted to stay alive to help others in their time of need. That's why he made the effort to reach out and be a shoulder to lean on for someone. He wanted to help people and relieve their suffering. 

He turned to his interlocutor and looked at him. His interlocutor was a human-like boy, around sixteen years of age, with chin-length wavy ebony black hair and rain gray eyes, wearing a gray robe (with a hood over his head depending on the weather) and brown leather knee-high boots. He was an adolescent Wizzrobe magician and his name was Shaw.

"Shaw, can you teleport them?", asked the Happy Mask Salesman.

"I guess so", Shaw replied.

"You guess so? That's not good enough. You need to be sure. We can't have you die from using too much magic power. You must know your limits as well as your strengths and weaknesses and be safe out there", the Happy Mask Salesman said.

"Well, I dunno. I mean, other Wizzrobe magicians my age are learning how to safely teleport others and I didn't really have the time to learn that since you found me, after my parents were killed. And it takes more power and energy to teleport others than to teleport just yourself. Then again, you know that since you use that kind of power too. You should teleport them yourself, I don't think I'm ready for this. I'm very thankful for everything you have done for me and I'm happy to work with you, but I miss the Magic Academy in my homeland and city and its extensive library", Shaw replied.

"I know, Shaw. I totally understand. Now then, can you teleport yourself at least?", the Happy Mask Salesman asked.

"Yes, that I can do. So I'll be waiting for you there at the entrance, you don't have to worry about me. Focus on getting the children there", Shaw said.

"You know worrying about you kids is something I can't help. I worried about Link when he was on his quest to save Termina and get back Majora's Mask. I worried about you when I found you injured, half-starved, scared and lashing out at me like a wounded animal three years ago. I worried when I found that boy who nearly drown. And I worry about those two siblings. You worry about them and about me, I can see it. All we can do is help them to the best of our ability. I'm going to teleport them. See you at the lighthouse, Shaw", the Happy Mask Salesman replied.

A moment later, he joined Shaw at the entrance of the lighthouse which was a home and a sanctuary to them and the place where they brought and temporarily kept the children they rescued and healed. That lighthouse had a history and was protected with magical wards. No one could enter without the Happy Mask Salesman's permission. During the catastrophic events of Majora's Mask threatening the entire world of Termina, the lighthouse sanctuary had remained closed and protected with magic as the Happy Mask Salesman was forced to temporarily move to Clock Town's Clock Tower and stayed closed and warded until after the threat of Majora's Mask had been contained and dealt with and the Happy Mask Salesman was finally able to relocate himself to his lighthouse sanctuary.

"I put them to bed and I'm going to get started on healing their wounds with my magic. In the meantime, please go to your work room and make a potion that will help them recover from their sickness and another one that will nourish them until they have regained enough strength to eat by themselves", the Happy Mask Salesman said.

When the Happy Mask Salesman saw the worried look on Shaw's face, he gently squeezed the boy's shoulder.

"Hey, I'll be fine. We will all be fine. Okay?", the Happy Mask Salesman said.

"Yeah. Okay. It's just... you're the closest thing I have to a father since my parents were killed and you're a good person and I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Masao", Shaw replied.

Before returning to Hyrule, Link had insisted on giving him a name. The Happy Mask Salesman had never revealed his birth name and had said virtually nothing about his past, but Link hadn't pressed the matter. Link had named him Masao, then the boy had left Termina with his friend the Skull Kid that he had named Akio. Masao had seen Akio a few times in Termina since then, but Akio had spent most of his time in Hyrule back then. Masao smiled affectionately at the boy and ruffled his hair which made Shaw laugh.

"We must take care of the children now. Please go make the potions", Masao said.

"Right away", Shaw said with a smile as he left. 

Masao watched Shaw leave and wiped a tear of joy from his eye.

* * *

When he saw Shaw entering his work room and closing the door behind him, Masao went to the room where the children were unconscious on the bed and started working on healing their injuries with his magic, replacing the cold, wet cloths on their foreheads when he thought they had become warm. When he was done, he made frequent visits to Shaw's work room and helped him a little with mixing the ingredients and stirring the potions as they simmered. Masao had more experience than Shaw when it came to brewing various healing potions, but he let Shaw take care of it so he would gain experience and help in his own way while Masao was healing the injuries or getting some more blankets. When they were done with the potions, they had to let them rest for a while. They decided to make some herbal tea on a separate table and in a separate container. They ground and mixed the ingredients for the herbal tea. They mixed; hibiscus, rosehips, roasted chicory, orange peels, rasberry, raspberry leaves and blackberry leaves. Then they added some hot water and stirred it a little.

The Happy Mask Salesman was sitting on the windowsill, listening to the sounds of the waves, wind, light rain, crickets and seagulls.

"Masao, I brought you your cup of herbal tea. It should have cooled down just enough to drink it", Shaw said.

Masao loosely wrapped his hands around his cup. The warmth from the mug felt good in his hands, and he placed one hand on top, feeling the heat radiating from the liquid. Taking a cautious sip, he became bolder when he realized that indeed it had cooled down just enough to drink it. He took another sip.

"Thank you, Shaw", he said.

"You're welcome, Masao", Shaw replied.

They sipped their herbal tea in silence, listening to the sounds of the waves, crickets and birds coming from outside of the lighthouse.

Masao was running. He knew that if they found him, they would kill him, just like they killed the others. He watched as they killed his people, hidden in the bushes. He didn't want to watch, but he knew he couldn't close his eyes and he had to stay alert if he wanted to stay alive. As he watched his people die, tears ran down his cheeks. He had came home one day to find his mother dead and his dying father's last words were a plea for his son to flee and survive. His people were killed and there was nothing he could do. Looking around, he realized that he was alone, all of his people were dead and gone and he was the last of his kind. With tears running down his face, he got up and tried to walk away. But he was spotted and they chased him. They would catch him any minute now, he thought, and he would be dead too.

Someone was gently shaking him and talking to him. He woke up with a cry, starring around wildly and he accidentally spilled his herbal tea, which was cold by then.

"It's all right, Masao. It was only a bad dream. You're safe", Shaw said.

Shaw cleaned up the mess with his magic and gave him another cup of warm herbal tea.

"The first two years, I had horrific nightmares. You know that. You were there to comfort me, to make me herbal tea, to chat with me either in my room or under the stars, and I'm so thankful for that. I still have these same nightmares sometimes. I relive my parents being killed in front of me when I was thirteen. I know you relive your people being killed in front of you as you stay hidden, silently crying. Losing my parents was the worse thing I've ever experienced. But I know it's worse for you. You're the last of your kind. My parents were killed, but at least, my race still exist, though there's no guarantee that those Hylians won't come back someday to wipe out my people. My people are preparing for that by training children to defend themselves and creating new spells of self-defense, but they were very supportive when I chose to leave my homeland and even my own world or reality for Termina so I could stay with you and help other children. They understand", Shaw added.

"Shaw, while it's true that being the last of your kind is depressing, avoid making these kinds of comparisons. Your pain is just as real and important as mine and your pain matters just as much. Also, it shouldn't devolve into a competition about who suffered the most and keep in mind that I'm immortal and several thousands of years old while you are mortal with a lifespan slightly longer than regular humans' but shorter than the Hylians'. So you can't really make these comparisons and you would end up invalidating them your very self", Masao replied.

Shaw nodded in understanding.

"Let's administer the potions, shall we?", Masao said.

Shaw nodded again and followed him. Masao, as a magic-user, was just as capable of making potions as Shaw, but he usually let Shaw make the potions while he fixed the most serious injuries. Once they reached the room, Shaw supported the children's heads while Masao poured a fair amount of both potions into their mouths and bodies, careful to make sure they wouldn't choke. Shaw turned to Masao.

"Go to bed and get some sleep. You look exhausted. I'll sleep here in this chair. If the children wake up, I will go get you. If the nightmares return, I'll be here. You need some rest, Masao", Shaw said.

The Happy Mask Salesman nodded, wished Shaw goodnight and left the room. He went to his own room, changed into his pyjamas, collapsed on the bed and giving in to his exhaustion, fell asleep.

* * *

He was woken up by Shaw a few hours later.

"The children regained consciousness" , the Wizzrobe magician said.

With a snap of his fingers, Masao's pyjamas were replaced with daytime clothes and he followed Shaw to the room where the children waited.

"Who are you?", the children asked.

"I'm Masao", the Happy Mask Salesman replied.

"And this is Shaw", Masao added, introducing the Wizzrobe magician.

"What's your name?", Shaw asked.

"I'm Kaliska", the girl said.

"And I'm Kieran", the boy said.

"You are siblings, aren't you?", Masao asked.

They nodded.

"I can see the resemblance", Masao said.

"Where are you parents?", Shaw asked.

Kaliska and Kieran looked at each other then looked at Shaw and Masao.

"Dead. Ambushed and killed while we were traveling", Kieran replied.

Kaliska gave them a sad smile. Shaw left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Please wait here while I talk to Shaw outside. I'll come back as soon as I can, okay? It shouldn't be long", Masao said softly.

The children nodded. Masao joined Shaw outside and closed the door behind him. When Masao found Shaw he noticed that the Wizzrobe magician's shoulders were shaking and tears were running down his cheeks. Masao squeezed his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"First you and then me and now them. Will this ever end? It's awful", Shaw said.

"I know", Masao replied, shedding a few tears of his own.

"I don't think their parents were killed by a zealous cult or Hylians though", Masao added.

"Doesn't matter what did it, they're dead", Shaw replied.

"Yes, I couldn't agree more with you and we'll do everything we can to help those children", Masao said.

A sob escaped Shaw. Masao opened his arms.

"Come here, son", the Happy Mask Salesman said.

Shaw let the closest thing he had to a father hold him while he cried. The two men let their tears flow and took comfort in each other's presence.

"I'm sorry for being a mess", Shaw said.

"Aren't we all? A mess, I mean. If you look deep down, you'll find that we all are messed up. We all have issues. We all have fears. Some just hide it better than the others. The strongest and happiest people have been through "hell" and back. The only thing that kept them sane was the faith and hope that they would make it through the end of the dark tunnel. Those people that seem to always be happy, always be laughing, always be smiling, take a deeper look. Don't let their smile fool you because behind every smile, every laughter, every person is a story yet to be told", Masao replied.

"I... thank you", Shaw said.

"You're most welcome, Shaw", Masao replied.

The Happy Mask Salesman invited Shaw to take a seat and sat down.

"I'm gonna have to leave, Shaw", Masao said.

"I know. You're gonna have to leave and find a home and parents for the children, a couple who will adopt them", Shaw replied.

The Happy Mask Salesman nodded.

"You'll stay here and take care of the children while I go search for a home for them. All you have to do is cook their meals, put them to bed and read them stories, just like you did for the other children we rescued and found families for. I'm sure you'll manage, you always do. I'll come back as soon as I can", Masao said with an affectionate smile.

Shaw nodded.

"I understand. Do what you must and I'll do what I must", Shaw replied.

Masao squeezed his shoulder.

"There's something I wanted to give you but we've been busy lately and I want to give it to you before I leave", Masao said.

The Happy Mask Salesman summoned the objects that were under his bed in his room and they appeared in Shaw's work room.

"Is that what I think this is?", Shaw asked.

"Yes, they are books that will help you learn how to safely teleport others and how to safely use that Meteor Rod of yours that you always carry on you. That knowledge will serve you well throughout your life and you might need it sooner than you think", Masao said.

Shaw thanked him and Masao was glad he bought those books as he wanted only the best for the boy he considered a son. They went back to the room where the children were waiting and Masao told them he would leave to find them a home. After he left, the children asked Shaw about his people and Shaw explained to them that not all Wizzrobe magicians are bad, that they sometimes take goblinoid or bird-like forms in battle but that their human form is their true form, that they live in a big city and that they have a Magic Academy with a gigantic and extensive library.

Just before Masao left, Shaw had asked Masao to go to the Southern Swamp and get him some Magic Mushrooms and some Ironshrooms because he needed his supply replenished before he actually ran out of the ingredients. He could hardly make healing and strength potions without those ingredients. He told Masao to ask his Chuchu friend Yaza for help with finding the ingredients. Yaza was the first friend Shaw had made in Termina, she was a nice Chuchu, always willing to help and she liked to talk about her son and daughter. Yaza had reminded Masao of his Poe friend Mili in Hyrule, who occasionally gave him some interesting informations when she was in the mood.

A few days later, Masao came back to pick up the children. He had found a home and a new family for them in Clock Town. When he came back to pick up the children, he was pleasantly surprised to see that Tatl and Tael were visiting. He had summoned tiny cups of tea for them to drink. After that, he teleported the children just outside of Clock Town and took them to their new family. The man and the woman gladly took the siblings in and were happy to be a father and a mother. The children thanked Masao and when they asked if they would see him again someday, he smiled and told them, as he had told Link, that a parting need not last forever and that it was up to them.

When he teleported back to the lighthouse, he chatted with Shaw, Tatl and Tael some more. Then he turned to them and gave them a reassuring smile.

"I'm going to leave Termina for a few days. No more than a week. And when I get back back, it'll take a while before I leave again, I promise, Shaw", Masao said.

Shaw looked at the man who was the closest thing he had to a father and returned his smile.

"Where are you going?", Shaw asked.

"Hyrule", Masao replied.

"You're going to check up on him?", asked Tatl.

No one asked who "him" was, they all knew who she was talking about.

"Among other things, I have one or two other things to do there as well, like checking up on my business there, visit my Poe friend Mili and... finding out if the Hylian royal family members have caused more damage than they already have", Masao finished gloomily.

Shaw shuddered and Tael gave him a sympathetic look.

"I'll see you all again soon", said Masao.

The Happy Mask Salesman took his backpack and prepared to leave. They wished him well in his future endeavors. He smiled and waved them goodbye, then walked off, ready to leave for Hyrule.

\- End -

**Author's Note:**

> I made a playlist of the ASMR/Ambience video that inspired me while I was writing part 1 of my Legend of Zelda fanfiction series:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzG_3q50DuPl4JtjHb1-P7r-9jzJ9VABL
> 
> I also made a playlist for part 2 of my Legend of Zelda fanfiction series and I will post it here when I post the second part of my fanfic series (I don't want to give away spoilers, especially not at this stage when I just started writing part 2).
> 
> I currently have several fanfic projects on my list. There will be a second part and a third part to this Legend of Zelda series. I will also write a short Malec one-shot in between part 1 and part 2 or part 2 and part 3 of my Legend of Zelda series. I also intend to write more Pokemon fanfics with the five pairings seen in "Love, love, love" and what their lives as married couples are in my headcanon (except the next ones will; center on only one pairing per fanfic, will be longer, and might be M-rated or E-rated). If you want to be notified when I post my new works, subscribe to me on AO3. So in October, I will write part 2 and 3 of my Legend of Zelda series. During the first two or three weeks of December, I'm going to be working on Christmas fanfics (one or two Malec fanfics, a Quicksand fanfic, and probably another story if I have enough time). 
> 
> If you want to be notified when I post my new works, subscribe to me on AO3.
> 
> Also, see this (and leave me some feedback/con-crit please):
> 
> https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject


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